SANAA ��" A suspected al-Qaeda suicide bomber targeted a convoy of the British ambassador to Yemen early on Monday, killing himself and injuring three others, but the envoy was unharmed, Yemeni and British officials said. The hit "bore the hallmarks of al-Qaeda," Yemen's interior ministry said, a reminder that despite recent efforts by the impoverished country to crack down on the global militant group, its members were still able to carry out such violent attacks. Ambassador Tim Torlot was on his way to the embassy when the blast occurred, the ministry said. Two of the wounded were security officials escorting the ambassador's motorcade, while the third was a bystander. Britain's Foreign Office confirmed that a small explosion took place beside the ambassador's car. He was unhurt and no other embassy staff were injured, it said in a statement. The suicide bomber was a young man dressed in sports gear, the interior ministry said, citing security services. The force of the blast scattered his body parts to the roofs of nearby houses, the ministry said. Yemen has for years been battling al-Qaeda and other militant groups. The regional wing of the militant group, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is based in Yemen and has previously threatened and attacked embassies. In September 2008, two suicide bombers set off a series of explosions outside the heavily fortified US embassy in Sanaa, killing 16 people. The attack was claimed by a group called Islamic Jihad in Yemen, which analysts said was linked to al-Qaeda.
